From agency to capabilities: Sen and sociological theory

Abstract

This article argues that the capability approach (Sen, Nussbaum) offers a promising renewal of the idea of agency in sociological theory. The author suggests that any new normative understanding of agency, like the one that Sen and Nussbaum offer, can gain from sociological theory’s recourse to notions similar to capability, namely the agent’s capacity for action. On the other hand, Sen’s research program which focuses on the agent’s capability to make valued choices offers powerful concepts that enable sociologists to rebuild the core category of agency. Seeing this affinity as an opportunity for reworking the normative dimensions of sociological theory, and drawing on sociology’s accomplishments, the author argues that the normative components of Sen’s notion of capabilities are not locked into an individualist approach to agency, typical of economic thought, but, rather, contain a social core that has been prefigured primarily by Parsons and to a lesser extent by Giddens. Aided by the capability approach, the author attempts to show how Sen’s vision of capabilities can contribute towards regenerating the normative foundation of agency and can reconfirm sociological theory’s explanatory capacities.